Alan MacSimoin 1957-2018

The Kate Sharpley Library collective are saddened to pass on news of the death of Irish anarchist and historian Alan MacSimoin. Coming from Irish Republicanism to anarchism in the 1970s, he belonged to the Murrays Defence Committee, the Dublin Anarchist Group, the Anarchist Workers Alliance and helped found the Workers Solidarity Movement in 1984.

The Workers Solidarity Movement said “The WSM are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the death of Alan MacSimoin, one of our founder members, a friend, and a key central figure in building the anarchist movement in Ireland for over four decades. Alan had not been a member of WSM for some years but remained politically active right to the end. His last Facebook post on November 29th was supporting the locked out bricklayers at Mary’s Mansions. Alan will be sorely missed by all in the WSM and we offer our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.”

Some of his historical work can be seen at his Irish Anarchist History project website irishanarchisthistory

We at the KSL send our condolences to his family, friends and comrades.

I only knew him through the, at the time, micro Irish left, I was in the Irish SWP and he was obviously in the WSM. Always friendly and always willing to explain his position could be a little sharp but with good humour. A true working class hero. A big loss.

He had a great influence on the like of Donal Fallon and the lads around the Come Here to Me blog.

"Anarchist Communist Group members are saddened to hear about the death of veteran Irish anarchist, Alan MacSimoin.

Alan started his political life with Official Sinn Fein’s youth organisation when still at school but broke with republicanism and went on to help set up Dublin Anarchist Group in 1978. Later he was involved in setting up the Anarchist Workers Alliance and later still he was a founder member of the Workers Solidarity Movement. Although Alan parted company with the WSM more recently, he nevertheless continued to be active politically until his death. Alan was on the platformist wing of the libertarian movement.

A number of ACG members have had comradely dealings with Alan over the decades. One ACG member says:

I am shocked and saddened to hear of the news of the death of Alan MacSimoin. In the 1970s as national secretary of the Anarchist Workers Association I corresponded with a young man in an Irish Republican youth organisation who had started considering anarchist ideas. This was Alan and he went on to working with us to setting up an anarchist organisation in the Republic , This eventually became the Workers Solidarity Movement. Alan parted with the WSM some years ago but he remained an active anarchist till the end. He was bright and acerbic and always well dressed whenever I met him. A great loss to the movement and to the world. Totally choked to hear this news.

The ACG offers its condolences to Alan’s family, friends and comrades past and present.